Trinity Continued
by superninja
Summary: The Big Three in the current continuity (Superman/Wonder Woman, Batman). Batman tells WW the whys. Could Bats and WW have a relationship?


Trinity Continued  
  
By superninja  
  
All characters belong to Warner Bros./DC Comics.  
  
***  
  
"I thought I told you to stay out of my city."  
  
"Hello, Princess."  
  
He remained hidden in the shadows, but stepped forward enough so that she could see the cold flickering of his eyes in the light of the full moon. He didn't need to hide from her, but the others might see. He quickly glanced at the flashing police lights past the edge of the alley.  
  
"Funny," he started. "I remember me telling you the very same thing (*see current issues of Wonder Woman)...It seems neither one of us likes to play by the rules."  
  
Her red-clad feet lighted on the ground, the merest whisper against the pavement.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"Bruce Wayne attended a gala tonight," he answered. "I was just heading back to the airport when the APB came across on the police scanner. I was in the neighborhood, so..."  
  
"I can take care of my city," she snapped, a little more coldly than necessary.   
  
"Who watches over yours tonight?"  
  
"Oh, a Robin here, a Huntress there."  
  
Diana's head suddenly jerked towards the northeast. She returned to the air, hovering above him.  
  
"Go home, Batman."  
  
Then she flew up and away into the night.  
  
***  
  
It was just a simple bank robbery, and everything had gone fine until *he* got in the way. Batman had been naturally unnerving before, but as of late, his presence did nothing but put her on edge. If Wonder Woman were off her game, it could mean little danger to her, but not to innocent bystanders and hostages.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his movement, ducking in and out of the shadows like a ghost...or a demon.  
  
When she had finally breached the bank vault, it had been annoying to find Batman inside with a gas mask and a cadre of criminals passed out on the floor. There were empty rounds everywhere.  
  
The anger was apparent on her face as she stared him down, determined to win in this battle of wills between them, but just as the SWAT team entered, she turned and then he was gone.  
  
After making her statement to the police, she walked straight into the alleyway behind the bank her gut telling him he would be waiting there for her. He knew the robbery would take little effort on her part to thwart, but then he had shown up again.  
  
"Almost deliberately," she mused.  
  
Crossing her arms, she leaned against the brick and mortar and frowned.  
  
  
" I can handle it, with no help from you."  
  
"I didn't ask," he said, appearing out of the shadows.  
  
"I told you to go home. I meant it."  
  
"Still angry over the protocols? Still fuming that I thought up a way to defeat you?" (*see current issues of JLA)  
  
Grinding her teeth, she refused to look back at him, and instead looked up at the full moon overhead.  
  
"Great Hera, should I not be?"  
  
"If you were to ever endanger mankind. Don't be so arrogant to think I took pleasure in the idea of humbling any of you."  
  
"Arrogance?!" She raised her voice and turned to him then, her eyes flashing.   
  
"You, above all else should know the meaning of that word."  
  
"Yes," he smiled into the night. "The poor mortal Batman, so far beneath his peers. One night, in the darkness of his Batcave, he devised a plan to destroy them all..."  
  
He practically snickered.  
  
"You are loathsome. You profess to be a protector, yet you hide in the darkness and trade in deceits."  
  
"I'm not the one deceiving myself...Princess.."  
  
"Stop calling me that! You make a mockery of me."  
  
He casually pulled the grapple from his belt, reading to take his leave.  
  
"No. You are in danger of making a mockery of yourself."  
  
The tensile spring activated, shooting to the rooftop, and he was gone.  
And Diana was left with the chill of the Batman's smile.  
  
***  
  
The car waited a few feet away, with Alfred at the wheel.  
  
Maybe he shouldn't have said those things to her. He was just fueling the fire between them...the anger and misunderstanding. But there was something so inviting about her anger. Deep down, he really took no pleasure in what he had done. The JLA protocols he had devised were simply to keep them in check, should there be no one left to stand in their way. But like Clark, Diana could be so self-righteous sometimes -- it really was a test of his mettle to keep his mouth shut. Besides, she didn't know what she was talking about -- he DID. If the light bulb did ever come on it her head, it might be too little too late.  
  
Landing on the floor of the alley, the scent of decay filled his nostrils. But no crime had been committed, other than the city being lax on its trash duties.  
  
The car was just a few feet away, and then...home. A short flight first, but at least he could settle down on board his private jet and...  
  
"What did you mean by that? A...mockery?"  
  
Glancing towards the stars, he sighed, seeing Wonder Woman hovering above him, lit from behind by the moonlight. She was beautiful, maybe one of the most beautiful on the planet...but so naïve. Not just innocent like Clark, but naïve...and that could be dangerous.  
  
"Do you really want to get into this now?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He flicked his communicator on, opening a channel to the waiting car.  
  
"Go on without me Alfred. No...everything's fine."  
  
***  
  
Barely with enough time to close his wrist communicator, she had kidnapped him and whisked him away to the highest point of Gateway City.  
  
Even her usual gentility was ebbing away, and she dropped him with little care onto the outcropping below the spire.  
  
Not that it mattered. He landed like a feather on the rooftop all his own.  
  
"Tell me then, Batman."  
  
Standing at the far corner (although it was only a few feet away) she resumed her angry stance, arms crossed, and looked away from him. Perhaps she was steeling herself for his words.  
  
"What have you learned from Man's World?" he asked pointedly.  
  
"A great many things, Batman. None of which I care to discuss with you. Now please get to the point."  
  
"Then let's start with the protocols," he said, crouching and then leaning out over the edge to observe the bustling city below. His long cape swayed mightily in the updraft, swirling about him like a living thing.  
  
"You had no right to keep it from us. We would never have thought to do the same to you," she began.  
  
"Isn't that what I do best, Princess? Think of the things you would never dare think of? You think it makes me dangerous, and yet...if it weren't for me, the one who knows you best of all, then who would stop you?"  
  
"What about trust?" she pleaded with him, trying to break through his stubborn veneer. "What of friendship?"  
  
A short smile drew on his face, and he looked again down into the city. Trust. So fragile and so fleeting...it could be easily broken. But to the Batman, what he had done was the ultimate act of trust between them. As their friend and fellow, he was entrusted with all they held dear...all the lay below them now.  
  
"Look at them down below, Diana," he words took on a sudden softness, and she glanced over at him gazing on her city. "What would they do if a Superman turned against them. What *could* they do?"  
  
"Kal would never turn against them. Do you still not know that?" She was standing next to him now, and put a hand on his shoulder, turning him towards her. "None of us could ever..."  
  
"Kal!" he spat, turning away from her. "Your pet name for Superman."  
  
Wonder Woman recoiled in shock, stepping away from him in both surprise and in an attempt to control her own rising anger.  
  
"His name is CLARK, Diana. Clark Kent. He has a wife named Lois and a mother named Martha."  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
Batman took a deep breath, and pulled his cape down tightly around himself, as though to prepare for what was to come next.  
  
"You are a danger to him, Diana. And to us all."  
  
Wonder Woman felt a lump rise in her throat. His words had filled her mind with images and confusion.  
  
"I-I do not understand..." she stuttered.  
  
"His humanity. You threaten it, bottom line."  
  
"You DARE?"  
  
"YES I dare!" he yelled back at her over the wind. "A thousand times, yes...Lord, Diana, this is not a game. He's one of the most powerful creatures on the planet, maybe even in creation, and yet you seek to bring out everything in him that is alien!"  
  
"I do not!" she cried.  
  
His words were torment to her and Diana turned away at that moment and fled.  
  
***  
  
Diana stood alone in the viewpoint of the JLA Watchtower and looked down on the blue spinning orb below her.  
  
Merely minutes ago, the Batman had managed to inflict a wound on her deeper than any mortal had ever done.  
  
She was a goddess, and yet tears fought to fall from her eyes. How could he? How could he think that she would be so weak as to endanger them all, to view her relationship with Kal as a game? She cared too much about him for that. She cared too much about Man's World for that matter.  
  
But why couldn't she get his terrible words out of her head?  
  
"Diana?"  
  
She felt herself go rigid at the sound of his voice. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. She wished to the Gods that he would just go away, but he knew her too well.  
  
Superman's handsome face ducked into her vision for a moment as she focused her gaze on the Earth below.  
  
"You're upset," he said with assurance. "What's wrong?"  
  
Superman, Kal...Clark was her best friend. It would be nearly impossible to keep anything from him. But how could she tell him? There was a fine line.   
  
"Please, Kal. Leave me be."  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
She looked up at him through glazed eyes and saw the familiar smile play across his face. It was gone in a flash when he saw she was truly on the brink of tears.  
  
"My God, Diana...what's happened?"  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Diana fought hard, but then she felt a tear escape her eye, and whisper down her cheek, dropping onto his chest. A man with the power to hear distress a thousand miles away...it probably sounded like a waterfall to him.  
  
"Who did this to you?" he said, his voice full of anger.  
  
***  
  
Batman was left without the benefit of convenient air transportation. He sighed as he sat alone on the spire above her city and wondered how long it would take him to arrive home.  
  
Just then, his communicator beeped. It was Alfred.  
  
"Sir, I dispatched the jet, just in case an...uncomfortable situation occurred."  
  
Good 'ol Alfred.  
  
"It should be there," he continued, "well...NOW..."  
  
Batman smiled as the Batjet arrived within a few feet of him, hovering in the air awaiting his command.  
  
"I know you and the Princess have had a rather hard time of it as of late..."  
  
"Thanks," he answered, cutting him off, and jumped into the cockpit. A few buttons were pressed, and a course was set for home.  
  
Maybe he shouldn't have said that to her. No doubt she was angry, and hated him more than ever before. But she needed time, and he needed time, to think about what was said, and more importantly, how to heal the chasm between them.   
  
At least he had been honest...  
  
He barely had enough time to pull up as the sensors picked up what only his eyes saw as the flicker of red and blue directly in his path.  
  
Batman yanked the controls down, heading for lower altitudes to avoid a collision. God, they were both so predictable.  
  
Once he reached a safe height, he let the compartment swish backwards, exposing him to the thin air, and looked into the face of Superman.  
  
"What did you say to her?" he asked.  
  
Batman watched the still form above him, rigid and angry, just as Diana had been. God, they were so predictable.  
  
"It's between her and I," Batman replied.  
  
Superman sighed, shutting his eyes.  
  
"He's controlling his anger," Batman thought. "Good."  
  
Then he opened them again and began.  
  
"I forgave you for the protocols, Bruce. I even understand the necessity of them. But why do you keep tormenting her? You know she's angry with you, and you're pushing."  
  
"Then, she didn't tell you?" he asked plainly.  
  
A startled look came over Superman's face.  
  
"No, but..."  
  
"Then maybe you weren't meant to interfere..." he replied. And closing the hatch, he continued on to Gotham, leaving Superman behind.  
  
***  
  
It was a clear morning, and the sky stretched overhead in an endless blue.  
  
She was standing in a graveyard.  
  
A small one, but markers dotted the earth as she tentatively began to walk among the dead.  
  
None of the names meant anything to her. She searched for some hope of recognition, and then...she saw him.  
  
*Him*.  
  
Standing near one of the graves, he bent low, placing a single rose on top of the newly turned earth.  
  
"Kal?"  
  
The tall, broad-shouldered man turned towards her and smiled. Such a beautiful smile, it was even brighter than the perfect day that surrounded them.  
  
She felt a smile on her own face and rushed to meet him. She was so glad to see him. He was the only thing she knew here.  
  
"Diana!" he sighed, hugging her in a warm embrace. He clutched her tightly, holding to her as her gaze fell down on the grave marker below.  
  
It said Lois Lane.  
  
She jerked in horror and turned back towards him, a strange sadness filling her heart.  
  
But there was none of his own.  
  
His smile was brilliant, flooding her gaze. He pulled her even closer.  
  
"Diana...I've waited for this moment for so long..."  
  
A feeling of dread clutched at her heart, but she had no time to think as the heavens opened to them, and the Gods were revealed before her very eyes.  
  
Zeus looked down upon them, his wizened gaze falling first on Diana, and then on Kal.  
  
"Kal-El, Last Son of Krypton," he said. "Stand forth."  
  
Kal approached and the Pantheon appeared behind Zeus, beaming down upon them all. The clouds sang in golden tribute to the occasion.  
  
"You have served mankind well. You alone are worthy to be named a God."  
Diana looked upon it all in confusion, an inner voice telling her this was all wrong.  
  
"Now you are both gods among men," his voice boomed. "Rule them wisely."  
  
Kal pulled Diana into his embrace, his soft hands drawing her face up towards him, and kissed her passionately.  
  
It was a moment she had always dreamed of...she lost herself in it, every fiber of her being drawn into his touch. She loved Kal...she had always loved him. Now they could be together...forever...  
  
Both opened their eyes and met one another's.  
  
"We will rule them well," Kal smiled.  
  
Her heart leapt as she looked up into his eyes.  
  
They were not Kal's.  
  
***  
  
Diana awoke in a sweat, and pulled the sheets off of her.  
  
Glancing out of the window, another bout of thunder broke across the horizon, and she brought her knees to her chest, resting her head on them.  
  
The rain poured outside in torrents, almost a mirror at the moment of her very soul.  
  
Was this what the Batman had meant?  
  
Jumping out of bed, she adorned herself in her costume and headed out into the storm.  
  
***  
  
Alfred answered the door, despite the fact that it was 3:00 a.m. A small annoyance, but he had been reading anyway. It was the fifth time he'd read A Tale Of Two Cities, and besides, he knew how it ended.  
  
He was shocked to find a drenched princess at his door.  
  
***  
  
"Master Bruce?"  
  
The single lit candle shone across the floor of the opulent master bedroom, and Bruce Wayne stirred for only a moment, then was awake. His long-time friend was always considerate enough to wake him gently.  
  
"What is it, Alfred?"  
  
"We have a...guest, sir."  
  
Knowing Alfred wasn't one for a joke, he rose and put on his dressing robe, thinking of either a menace waiting for him below, or an uninvited guest.   
  
Neither one set him at ease. It had been a slow night in Gotham, and Batman was always one to expect the worst.  
  
"I'll be down in a moment," he said.  
  
He went to his wardrobe and added a few gadgets, just to be sure.  
  
***  
  
Diana was sitting in front of the fire, with a towel around her, sipping a cup of hot tea.  
  
"Hmmm...," he thought to himself, "She's immune to the cold." But knowing Alfred, he had insisted.  
  
He ducked into the shadows, wondering if he should put on his costume to face her. She was here, alone, in the wee hours of the morning. That couldn't be a good thing.  
  
But the Batman was never one to back down from a challenge. He gathered his robe around himself, and secured it tightly.  
  
"Diana?"  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes red with upset. He caught the momentary glance of surprise at seeing him out of costume, but she managed to hide it well.  
  
"Did you mean..." she began, but looked up to see Alfred standing in the doorway.  
  
Bruce sent him away with a glance, and turned back to her, seating himself at the couch across from her.  
  
"Did you mean," she started again, "That I had ambitions of replacing Lois?"  
  
Bruce sighed and leaned against the couch, putting his hand to his chin and looking towards the new fire in the hearth.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I could never...replace her...she means more to him than anything."  
  
"Diana. I know your heart. You could never replace her while she lived. But when she dies...when every tie Clark has to Earth dies..."  
  
"What will stop him from losing his humanity?"  
  
"Yes," Bruce answered solemnly.  
  
Diana felt the sadness and anger welling within her. How could he be so cold, so callous? Superman had saved his life many times over, had proven his friendship again and again.  
  
"Then this is not about me then," she said in a rage. "Superman, and how you can never trust him, control him!"  
  
"It's all about trust, Diana. The ultimate trust. He understands it, why don't you?"  
  
Diana came to her feet, her arms thrust out along her sides, clenched in fists. The towel had thrown itself to the floor.  
  
"I made a mistake coming here. I was a fool to expect compassion from you!"  
  
She began to stride for the door, when Bruce grabbed her arm to stop her. He knew he could never best her strength, but his hope was that she would stop at least long enough for him to rationalize with her.  
  
Diana spun on him, catching his body bathed in the light of the fire, but his face was hidden entirely in shadows.  
  
"You torment me worse than the fires of Hades. Why?"  
  
"You love him, Diana."  
  
The emotions that came to her in that moment were nearly overwhelming. Feeling powerless before him was agony enough, but somehow he had managed to drain her strength from her as well.  
  
"You love him too!" she cried back at him. "It is true! I know how you try to hide in the darkness, to shelter yourself with it, but you can't hide it from me!"  
  
"I do love him, Diana. More than you probably will ever know."  
  
"Then how could you do it?" she asked, the confirmation gave her the strength to break from his grasp. "How could you try to destroy him?"  
  
"The heart that makes me love him, is the same heart that protects him from you."  
  
"You have no heart."  
  
"I asked you earlier," he said, walking away from her towards the fire, "what you had learned from Man's World. What I fear, Diana, my Princess, is that you have learned too well."  
  
"Speak plainly, Batman!"  
  
He turned on her then, knowing that she would never see him as Bruce Wayne, knowing that she saw him for what he truly was.  
  
"You have learned man's selfishness. To covet what does not belong to you, and you plant the seeds of fruition knowing it goes against the greater good."  
  
Watching him against the fire, the flames distorting the contours of his face, a thought came to her. But instead, she said it aloud.  
  
"You *are* a demon!"  
  
"Am I?" he asked her, looking into the hearth. "And yet I am prepared for the greatest sacrifice, while you still have delusions of grandeur. You and Clark, together...forever. But would it really be Clark, Diana?" he asked turning to her. "Are you sure? After all he would've lost..."  
  
"I would never do anything to hurt Superman. It is not within me."  
  
He walked towards her shaking form, framed by the large paned windows of his manor.  
  
"You see, Diana, I love you both. My only desire was always to save you from yourselves."  
  
Diana struggled against him, trying to push him away but weakened by her emotions.  
  
"Why do you not have faith in us?" she asked him. "How could you believe the in worst in us knowing our love for mankind? It is a part of our being. Can you not understand?"  
  
"God, Diana...I want to believe it. But deep down, no matter how much you strip away Clark's humanity, he's still left with that human emotion. You've seen it time and again. Take away his humanity, what's left to him...Would he be any better than Lutho..."  
  
He didn't have time to finish his thought. Diana had slapped his face. Granted, she'd held back, but it still hurt.  
  
"Ow," he cried out loud. "Not becoming of a Princes..."  
  
She slapped him again.  
  
"You liken Clark to Luthor, and you still stand before me and try to speak. You are a demon, or at the very least insane."  
  
"That's the first time you've called him Clark in a long time," he said regaining his stance. He walked to her and grasped her wrists, very gently.  
  
"I meant it when I said I love you both. First I lost Lois to Clark, and then you to Clark, and then I realized...it wasn't about me and Clark...it was about something bigger. It was about a Superman."  
  
She watched him speak, his eyes glowing in the firelight, entranced by his words.  
  
"It's bigger than all of us, Diana. Brighter and beautiful and greater than even your Gods can imagine."  
  
"What is to become of us then, Batman?" she asked him.  
  
Batman paused, trying to find the right words. Words that would build a bridge between the two of them for years to come.  
  
"My name is...Bruce Wayne," he replied.  
  
***  
  
The End  



End file.
